and then i tong her to the houston rodeo because i wanted her to see the texas cull tiewmplet well, i am not sure that the senator who grew up in the inner city of baltimore knew exactly how people would dress at the rodeo. but suffice it to say, there were a lot of rhinestones and cowboy boots and big hair and big hats. senator m mikulski whispered too me during this time, "kay, if we were here monday and we went to the chamber of commerce, would these people look like this?" and i said, "yeah, pretty much." so senator mikulski and i also teamed up to pass the homemaker ira to make sure that hour stay-at-home moms and dads would have the same opportunity for retirement security savings that those who work outside the home have. and it has been a huge success. we also cosponsored the national breast and cervical cancer early detection program. she is a skilled legislator and a dear friend. senator jay rockefeller has been an outstanding chairman of the commerce committee. we don't always agree, but as the lead democrat and republican, we have worked hard to reach consensus, and we hav